F
CUS
Friends’ Central School
Volume XXXV Issue 7
1101 City Avenue Wynnewood Pennsylvania 19096
June 2010 Edition
FOCUS dedicates this issue to “The Divine” Ms. DeVan
By Sami Resnik ‘12
Ms. DeVan has been an important part of the FCS community for 28 years. She is not merely the Upper School secretary—she is a friend and confidant to many teachers and students. Ms. DeVan will be retiring this year, and everyone will definitely feel her absence. As Doc Harnett says, “I am going to miss her so much! We've been best friends for 28 years—that’s almost half my life!” Doc is not the only one who will miss Ms. DeVan. When one student found out that she was leaving, he was shocked, saying, “Seriously!? Ms.DeVan is my favorite person!” As Ms.Devan herself says, “The community at Friends’ Central has been kind and will remain a part of my life forever.” Read on to hear about “The Divine Ms.DeVan”. Sami: What will you miss the most about Friends’ Central? DeVan: I’ll miss the interactions with the students and with my friends. For 28 years I’ve had this routine of coming into the office and
greeting everyone. So I’m going to miss those special times. S: What won’t you miss? D: I can’t say anything negative! There’s nothing I have to do here that’s so horrible. But it won't bother me when I don't get a phone call at 7:00 am from a teacher saying, «I won't be in!.» S: How has working here changed your life? D: Before I came here, I worked for the government for 10 years. It was an entirely different environment when I came to Friends’ Central--not as structured as I was used to. Friends’ quickly became a nice place to work for me. S: What do you plan to do when you leave? D: The first thing I plan to do is purchase a standard poodle
puppy, and he will be named Winston. Next, my family told me that my retirement gift is a trip to Egypt!
the Wood building (Ewen, Patterson, Novo, Schumacher and you too, Mr. Russo!). And last but not least, I have been blessed with a
S: When looking back, what people have affected you the most? D: My instant friendship with Doc Harnett has sustained me for 28 years Also [I have been friends with] Mr. Davis, Senora Gowen-Tolcott, Judy Bradley, Mr.C, Mr.V, Mr. Buck, Mr. Gruber, Mrs. Cecchine, Mr. Morris, Mrs. Plunkett, Mr. Darling and Dottie Mazullo. I will miss my colleagues from the second floor of
relationship with Ms.Beth and Mr. Kennedy that has been awesome. S: Everyone loves your style; where did you get the inspiration to dress like you do? D: From the time I was a little girl, my mother would change my clothes when I came home for lunch, so when I went back to school I would be wearing a different outfit. So fashion has always
been a part of my life and looking nice is important to me. S: You have been to a lot of proms! What do you like about the prom? D: I’ve been privileged that Ms.Haimm has extended an invitation to me to go to the prom. It’s an occasion I’ve attended for 26 years. I love to see the kids dressed up nicely - to see the girls dressed in their formals and looking elegant and the boys handsomely dressed in tuxedos rather than sneakers and baggy pants. S: What is something you would like to say to the FCS community? D: The community at Friends’ Central has been kind and will remain a part of my life forever. It has been my pleasure to watch many students grow from high school into successful adults, and I will miss seeing them when they return to campus. My wish is that the Lord will continue to bless and keep this community happy, safe and loving for many years to come!
Mr. Kennedy & Ms. Novo Switching Roles By Benjamin Yahalomi ‘11
Mr. Kennedy Ms. Novo Our beloved Co-Principal/Dean of Faculty, Mr. Many FCS graduates remember the enthusiasm and Bill Kennedy, is stepping down this year, to be replaced dedication Ms. Laura Novo has brought to teaching. For by Ms. Novo from the English Dept. I had the chance to so many of them, literature with her was the highlight of sit down with him for an interview, to get a sense of his their high school curriculum, a transformative experience plans for next year and his reflection on being principal which taught them new styles of writing and deeper ways for more than ten years. of thinking. Mr. Kennedy describes himself as “a teacher first,” After 17 years of full-time teaching at Friends’ and so he is happy he will have students and advisees Central, Ms.Novo will become Co-Principal/Dean he will see every day. From the beginning, he always of Faculty, replacing Mr. Kennedy. In addition to her thought he would be principal only temporarily, that he'd responsibilities as principal, she will teach one section eventually return to a teaching position in the literature of Writers’ Workshop next year. That is no small feat - as department. Next year, Mr. Kennedy will be teaching 3 Co-Principal, she will be responsible for overseeing the blocks of literature, giving him the opportunity to spend school curriculum and among other things, overseeing more time with students. He will also be the 10th grade dean. faculty concerns. Mr. Kennedy described his favorite aspects of being high school Dean Ms. Novo says she is “stimulated” when thinking about the job, of Faculty vividly to me: “My favorite parts of this job have been working especially because she “likes process and working with others.” In addition, with teachers and staff, namely Ms. Beth, Ms. Schwartz, Ms. DeVan, and other she appreciates the positive response from faculty and students about her colleagues. I also enjoyed observing teachers and students in action.” He learned appointment, which has “been touching.” She will help to develop the school’s see Kennedy on page 2
see Novo on page 2
NEWS
Page 2
Teachers Are People Too…(kind of ) By Hannah Albertine ‘12
Friends’ Central School is a place where teachers and students alike build strong connections. A place where it’s perfectly okay to have a lunch meeting with your Chemistry teacher or have a good venting session with your Spanish teacher. However, in a school with such an open policy between teachers and students, I still find myself wondering if teachers have lives outside of school. I sent out an email to a few teachers asking for further insight about this not-so-wellknown aspect of part of the community's lives. Thursday night, I got the following response from the FCS legend himself, Mr. Gruber. Dear Hannah - I write to you tonight from my small but comfortable office here in the FCC. Soon, I will fold the wall bed down from behind my desk and settle in for a few hours of rest before homeroom and another Friday of teaching botany and giving a Foundations exam. I'm so glad we have the fridge and the microwave for my late night snacks and early breakfast. Though sometimes I wish I also did something else, I have finally come to terms with the fact that I live in my office and don't do anything other than educate Friends' Central students... it will be lonely here this weekend, but I'm sure I will again find enough grading and lab work to carry me over to Monday morning when you will all return again...
And while I chuckled at the Grubester’s response, something inside of me still couldn’t picture the happygo-lucky science guru doing anything other than what he had described. Mr. MacFarlane, Ms. Ewen and Ms. Morton gave me some further clarification on the subject. Ms. Ewen admitted that her out of school life does not revolve around FCS, but revolves around her dog. Every day, the lit whiz takes a break from annotating and walks her dog around Germantown. She recalls that one day she coincidentally passed by a JV softball game. «All of the girls were saying, 'You came to our game!' -- which was a bit awkward.» The girls found it so odd that a teacher would spend time outside of school doing anything else but grade papers or cheer for the Phoenix. Ms. Ewen adds, «I was content to walk my dog in my pajamas on weekend mornings until I found out a member of the class of 2012 lived in Germantown.» I have to admit that I was personally shocked to discover that teachers even owned pajamas. Ms. Morton insists that «being a teacher definitely extends beyond the school day, sometimes in very unexpected ways.» During a recent student scavenger hunt, one of the tasks was to get a picture high-fiving an FCS teacher (for those of you who live under a rock, proof on
Facebook). «Last weekend I was walking along outside my apartment--I think I was doing something mundane like taking out the trash--when a car pulled up beside me and three (giggling) junior girls jumped out, all wearing matching t-shirts. They shrieked something about a scavenger hunt, high-fived me, took my photo, and dashed off. The whole thing lasted about 2 minutes and was very surreal. I kind of wondered if it had really happened, but the incident was confirmed by the culprits at school the following Monday.» Mac Attack explained that contrary to popular belief, he does actually have a life outside of school! He commented on his varied experiences running into students on the weekends or after school. The lit teacher exclaims, “For me the awkward moments are when I'm out shopping at the grocery store (at) some odd hour on autopilot buying four tubs of ice cream or something. One always feels so exposed in a grocery store somehow. You know, like your purchases say so much about you!? I'm usually not prepared to be Mr. MacFarlane at those moments.”
June 2010 from Kennedy on page 1
about the administration through the process. Another unique and often challenging characteristic of being coprincipal is dealing with problems. Mr.Kennedy told me, “This job is different every day; often a problem or crisis comes up.” During his decade of administrative work, Kennedy has helped the Upper School accomplish many things, including the construction of the FCC and Shimada Athletic Center. Becoming, once again, a full-time teacher will allow Mr.Kennedy to spend more time with students, something he is looking forward to. Good luck next year!
interdisciplinary programs, working with faculty from all the departments to build school cohesiveness and ultimate academic success for students. As dean, she will deal with important school issues, meeting with faculty and students often. Ms. Novo's excitement is evident, and she mentioned that she is especially looking forward to a relationship with Ms. Beth.
Enjoy your retirement, Joan Falcone (Business Office)
We’re Going to Miss These Teachers By Keira Sultan ‘12
As this school year slowly wraps up and comes to a close, we get ready to say goodbye not only to the year but to four beloved teachers in our community as well: Mr. Pryor, Mr. Coval, Ms. Perry and Matt Murphy. Mr. Coval, who taught Spanish last year and But I ask you, FCS students, is currently when you run into a teacher teaching 10th at some big box store on the grade math Main Line, or walking along classes, is moving the street, how can you be on to teach a sure that when they’re done, world views class they won’t just return to their on the Temple “small but comfortable offices,” University counting down the minutes campus through until 8:30 am? Messiah College. He also hopes to travel to Chile in January to work as in intern at a Benedictine retreat center in Patagonia. Mr. Pryor, who taught history this year while Mr. Nicolai was on sabbatical, will be moving to Austin, Texas where he will partake in an American studies program. Settling even further across the country, Matt Murphy will be moving to California with his wife Kelly and will work in a start-up computer company. Meg Perry will be living in Malaysia on a Fulbright fellowship, working with endangered turtles. All four teachers agreed that this
“Tough and the Truckers” ( Joel Price, Scott Pryor, Matt Murphy ‘98) performing at assembly (5/24).
from Novo on page 1
would be a bittersweet move for them, and that while they are very much looking forward to these new experiences, they will also miss the school and and its people. Mr Pryor pointed out that “The Friends’ Central
community has been truly wonderful to me. It has been a wonderful place to teach in terms of colleagues and students; the people here and the strong sense of community is definitely what I will miss the most.» These three teachers will also be very much missed by the Friends’ Central community, and we wish them much luck and enjoyment next year!
ARTS/ENTERTAINMENT
June 2010
Summer 2010 Movie Preview
By Louis Lesser ‘11
As summer approaches, Hollywood hopes to wow moviegoers with a wide array of sequels, remakes and original stories. Here are just a few of the movies coming that are sure to shake up the box office and conversations throughout the summer. (Note: These aren’t necessarily the movies I want to see, just some of the major releases of the summer.) June: Get Him To The Greek (June 4th) – The highly anticipated
spin-off of 2008’s Forgetting Sarah Marshall finds British rocker Aldous Snow (Russell Brand) being escorted by an intern ( Jonah Hill) to a concert at LA’s famed Greek theatre. Featuring numerous cameos by famous musicians, as well as a supporting role from Diddy, this film aims to match the hilarity of its predecessor.
The A-Team (June 11th) – This
high-budgeted film version of the beloved 1980’s television series describestells the adventures of four mercenaries, all former members of the United States military. Although the show has been off the air for a while, by casting recent film stars such as District 9’s Sharito Copley and The Hangover’s Bradley Cooper, 20th Century Fox hopes that the film will capture the glory (and the attention) of the series.
Toy Story 3 (June 18 ) - Since th
1999, the release of Toy Story 2, Andy has grown up and is now heading off to college, leaving his beloved toys behind. Sure enough, much of the audience that saw the previous film in theatres has also grown up with characters such as Buzz Lightyear. The expectations
are high due to early praise from ShoWest (a major convention for theatre owners nationwide), as well as the massive fan base devoted to the Toy Story Series. This film is sure to be a blockbuster, especially with heightened ticket prices for 3D and IMAX screenings.
Grown Ups (June 25th) – Adam Sandler and his gang of frequent costars (Kevin James, Rob Schneider) are back with more hi-jinks in the story of childhood friends reuniting to meet their families. This movie will serve as an important test as to whether Sandler still has the box office power he had earlier in the previous decade.
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (June 30th) – While I for one am
on soundstages, were filmed locally, so look for scenery you recognize. Inception (July 16 ) – Besides th
the fact that his last movie was The Dark Knight, director Christopher Nolan seems to have another hit on his hands with this Leonardo DiCaprio thriller. This movie uses special effects and an acclaimed cast to tell the story of a thief attempting to pull of the perfect heist in a world of corporate espionage. Think of The Matrix meets Ocean’s 11.
The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (July 16th) – From the creators of National Treasure comes a movie based on the classic sequence from Disney’s Fantasia, but this story
friendships forms.
Beastly (July 30th) – A modern-
day version of Beauty & The Beast finds Vanessa Anne Hudgens as the girl in love, and Alex Pettyfer as the Beast. Also includes Neil Patrick Harris from How I Met Your Mother in a supporting role as a teacher to the lovers.
Also in July: Despicable Me (July 9th) Predators (July 9th) Salt (July 25th) August:
This summer, Philadelphia will be hosting amazing concerts. Starting off the summer concert lineup is The Roots Picnic, “conveniently” taking place the weekend before finals begin. Big names like Vampire Weekend and of course The Roots will be performing at the June 6th picnic at Penn’s Landing. Also in the month of June, acts like the Eagles with the Dixie Chicks and Keith Urban will bring some country flare to Philly. Far from country on the music spectrum, at the end of the month the “Electro
eminent. This aptly titled three-quel continues the theme of the first two films bringing dancing and dating to the next dimension.
The Expendables (August 13th) – The ultimate tribute to Action
films of the past three decades teams up legends like Sylvester Stallone and Bruce Willis with more recent successes like Jason Statham for a bullet-powered romp. Oh, the “Governator” makes an appearance as well.
Lottery Ticket (August 20th) – Bow Wow stars in what has widely been considered the successor to Barbershop for ensemble comedy films. This flick also features Ice Cube, Mike Epps, Terry Crews and
not lining up for this one, Twilight fans around the globe are eagerly awaiting the return of Edward, Jacob and Bella in the third entry of the series. New Moon, released last November, set opening day records, so economist eyes will be attentive to the totals the film accumulates. Of course, the eyes of the audience will be more focused on the romance on screen.
Also in June: Killers (June 4th) The Karate Kid (June 11th) Jonah Hex (June 18th) Knight and Day (June 25th) July: The Last Airbender (July 2nd) – Based on the first season of the
Nickelodeon show of the same name (Avatar, the first part of the title, was already taken) and directed by local filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan, this film will be released just before July 4th, typically one of the biggest movie-going weekends of the year. Some portions of the film, although
Taken from http://gloaminganddawn.files. wordpress.com doesn’t feature Mickey Mouse. Nicolas Cage and Jay Baruchel star in the New York-set tale.
Dinner for Schmucks (July 25th) – While based on a French
film, this comedy stars some of the funniest men in Hollywood: Steve Carell, Paul Rudd and Zack Galifianakis. The plot involves a corporate honcho attempting to bring the biggest buffoon he knows to a company meal in order to win a prize; however, the unlikeliest of
Taken from http://images2.fanpop.com The Other Guys (August 6th) –
Action/Adventure film stars Mark Wahlberg, The Rock and Samuel L. Jackson, who join forces with Will Ferrell and Adam McKay, the minds behind Anchorman and Talladega Nights , to bring moviegoers a film about a team of cops filling in for the big guys.
Step Up 3-D (August 6th) – Sooner or later, after 3D had
dominated the box office, a third film in the Step Up series was
Come Hear the Music
By Samantha Resnik '12
Page 3
pop” band Passion Pit is coming to the city. On June 27th the band is performing at the outdoor Mann Music Center.
Heading into July, the American Idolobsessed will swarm to the Wachovia Center for the American Idols Live Tour. Although the U2 concert at the Lincoln Financial Field was sold out for July 12, Bono's emergency back surgery has forced the entire tour to be postponed. (Reportedly, tickets will be
good when the concert tour is rescheduled.)
Taken from http://americanidol.com
Taken from http://upload.wikimedia.org T-Pain.
Also in August: Eat Pray Love (August 13th) Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (August 13th) Piranha 3D (August 27th) That’s a wrap, and have a great summer at the movies!
music, or sing along with the
Finishing the summer with a bang, the indie band MGMT will be giving the concert of a lifetime at the Mann Center in August. At the same venue, Yo-Yo Taken from Ma will draw http://theantihype.files.wordpress.com/ a different crowd, classical classics, buy your tickets-enthusiasts from around these summer concerts are sure the tri-state. So, if you to please. love to rave to techie
SPORTS
Page 4
June 2010
Girls’ Lacrosse FSL Champs By Jamie Urlich '12
The journey for the FSL girls' lacrosse championship did not start on Saturday May 22nd when the girl’s lacrosse team traveled to Germantown Friends to take on the Tigers for the Friends Schools League title. Nor did it start on March 18 , when the girls played their first scrimmage against Upper Merion. It started last season after a devastating defeat to Shipley in the semi-finals. After two overtimes, the effort displayed on the field was not enough, and the score board read 13-12: advantage Shipley. The defeat in ’09 lit a fire under the squad. Countless hours were spent in summer leagues and camps by the players. Off-season preparation was taken to a new level. Revamped by a th
strong incoming freshman class, while returning the heart of last year's team, the Phoenix took the field in 2010 with one and only one goal: a league title.
Photo by Carrie Brodsky
A regular season filled with success ensued. The team lost only one league game all year. They also played a thriller with national powerhouse
Garnett Valley and took home impressive victories against local powers, The Hill School, Agnes Irwin and Springside. After establishing themselves as a team to be feared in the
The LeBron James Saga By Wesley Kaminsky ‘11
Since the Cleveland Cavaliers were eliminated from the playoffs on May 13th, the question on everyone's mind has been, «Where will LeBron James go?» As you may know, LeBron will become a free agent this summer, allowing him the freedom of signing with any team he chooses. Will he remain loyal to his hometown team, the Cavaliers? Or will he choose to bolt Cleveland, and play alongside Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah in Chicago? Another route James could take is to sign with the New York Knicks to play in the Big Apple, where he will be treated like royalty. While James considers these options, Los Angeles Clippers fans hope he will come to LA and assist the Clippers, who are overshadowed by the
Lakers, to become an NBA powerhouse. There are so many question marks as to what «The King» will choose to do this summer, and every team with the cap space needed to sign James will make their bid.
and Antawn Jamison, the team was not able to make it over the hump. If LeBron does indeed decide to leave, the
LeBron James will choose Image taken from to stay in http://sports.yahoo.com -Cleveland Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images only if Cavaliers immediately become he believes he will win a irrelevant, and will certainly championship there. The lose a majority of their fans, last two seasons, despite who are most likely on the having the NBA's best record LeBron James bandwagon. during the regular season, the Cavs failed to reach the In addition to James, Championship. Even after bringing in players such as Mo the free agent class of 2010 includes big names such as Williams, Shaquille O'Neal,
Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudemire, Joe Johnson, and Carlos Boozer, just to name a few. Oh yeah, and Dirk Nowitzki as well, who recently opted out of his contract from the Mavericks. Any one of these players would love to play with James, and Chris Bosh has already expressed that his decision could depend on where James goes. Does LeBron secretly already know his choice for this summer? Who knows, but for now we can all speculate. July 1st can not come soon enough. To read more of Wes's articles, please visit http://bleacherreport.com/ users/88810-wesley-kaminsky
area, The Phoenix found themselves in a familiar spot in the 2010 playoffs: a semifinal matchup with the Gators. This time the hard work paid off, and it wasn’t even close. A 13-6 victory for the girls in the semi-final placed them in the finals against GFS. Germantown, the only team to beat the girls in conference during the regular season, didn’t stand a chance. The girls jumped out to a 7-0 halftime lead and didn’t look back. A final score of 13-2, the largest ever margin of victory for a lacrosse championship, brought not only a trophy to the team, but also a sense of redemption.
FOCUS EDITORS-IN-CHIEF: Matthew Karliner ‘11 Benjamin Yahalomi ‘11 PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR: Jacob Davidson ‘11 SPORTS EDITOR: Jamie Ulrich ‘12 STAFF WRITERS: Hannah Albertine ‘12 Daniel Banko ‘13 Ben Fogel ‘13 Sami Resnik ‘12 Keira Sultan ‘12 Jordan Taffet ‘12 Wesley Kaminsky ‘11 FACULTY ADVISORS: Marilyn Lager Steve Patterson